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Toyota Venza Maintenance and Repair
dmorrison76
Member Posts: 8
in Toyota
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The video also shows how to stop our Venza that comes with electronic ignition in case of an emergency.
Now, I was shocked to see the VW at the end of video, brake overriding gas pedal which cannot be done in Toyota.
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/RunawayToyotas/sudden-acceleration-toyota-cars-own- ers-rebel-accidents/story?id=8980479&page=2
The dealer replaced your transmission as a result of sudden or sluggish acceleration complaints? And when you come to a complete stop the car accelerates on its own.....without your foot on the gas pedal? That doesn't make sense.
I can see the car accelerating on its own when the cruise control is activated and when you move the cruise control lever to "resume", but the moment you step on or tap the brake pedal, the cruise control deactivates.
As for lack of fluid stick, yes it is a closed transmission good for 100K miles. Then you have to take it to the dealer to have them replace the fluid...and it uses a special fluid. Jiffy Lube won't know how to do it.
The Venza manual lists the recommended viscosity; follow that recommendation to a "T"
As far as brand consideration, the oil used during a standard service interval at a TOYOTA DEALER is your best bet for longevity and reliability. Some dealers use Toyota branded oil and some may use another brand.
The issue is, when riding in the rear outboard seats(winter time with very cold outdoor temps), I'm clearly able to notice a cold draft around the rear door handle and rear door handle cutout(when closing the door). I thought I was crazy at first, but after multiple trips in the rear seats I continue to notice this problem. On many occasions I asked my wife to increase the heat temperature to combat the coldness I feel, especially while my arm is resting on the rear door ledge.
If you're wondering why I sit in the rear of the car, is because we have a newborn, and sometimes it is necessary for me to sit next to him during a car ride.
I'd like to know if this is a major insulation problem with Toyota Venza's? I'm considering ripping off the rear door panels and stuffing some R-8 grade insulation inside. No joke.
If your dealer has big drums up in the shop ceiling with hoses hanging down, you may want to take your own oil to the shop to insure you really are getting the right weight oil.
It's be worth it to ask the service writer what drums hold what oil, and then casually mention that you have an oil analysis done every now and then to check on the engine wear and see what kind of reaction you get.
If it's just one door, maybe the plastic dust sheet inside the door didn't adhere right and is letting lots of air pass through. Or maybe there's just nothing around the cut-outs to help stop the drafts.
Thanks for the quick reply. I noticed the draft on the right rear door. I need to confirm the left rear door.
I will post once I confirm. Thank you.
Maybe you can figure out how Toyota did the front doors and replicate that for the rear doors.
Replacement clips for the ones you break taking the panel off can be found at the big box hardware store. :shades:
"..dealers buy oil in bulk.."
Yes, and often from re-refineries. Dealers have NO legal obligation to follow factory guidelines when performing routine maintenance procedures.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35111646/ns/business-autos
Check out Toyota's website to get all of the recall info.
There is a link addressing the recall to the right side of the screen on edmunds.com and it has pictures that differentiate between those pedals made in North America that are part of the recall and those made in Japan that are not. Check the pictures, look at your gas pedal and you shall know.
I checked out the gas pedal on my Venza, and according to posted photos, it is the Denso(?) version which is not part of the recall. So, mine will not be part of the recall.
On another subject, I just read the following in a news post
"CTS, based in Elkhart, Ind., said Friday that the sticky accelerator pedals shouldn't "be linked with any sudden unintended acceleration incidents." The company said it isn't aware of any accidents and injuries caused by the rare slow-return pedal condition. CTS has also said that it employs Toyota's design in the production of the pedals."
A lady had her Matrix accelerate suddenly last year, and fortunately only drove it into a wood pile in the parking lot she was in. She had frequently complained to her dealer the gas pedal was sticking, but they could not find anything wrong. There has been a great deal of publicity in the Toronto papers of this case. I am sure CTS has been monitoring the press and read this story. And they have the audicity to say they are not aware of any accidents? Is this an attempted application of Hitler's big lie theory - tell it enough times and people will believe it? There is not problem? The lesson learned - don't expect the people responsible to fess up, they will play ostrich, if you have a problem keep nagging at them and be a pain in their side till you get what you want out of them.
P.S. I'll mail them the news article of the accident so they can be aware
http://www.thestar.com/wheels/article/756843--toyota-owners-fume-over-massive-re- call
CTS is simple saying their gas pedal is not the primary causative factor in the current run-a-way engine situation, Toyota needs to look elsewhere for that.
I have finally determined that I have the Denso pedal in my car. Now I need to find out if Franklin Precision manufactured the throttle body in my Venza. Anybody got any clues, suggestions, as to how I can find this out? I've called Franklin Precision, but I'll be shocked if the woman calls me back.
My dealership rep is so flustered, I feel I'm getting doublespeak. Last week, he told me I had the CTS pedal and in the next breath he said it has the Denso. I had to go out with a flashlight and determine that for myself.
Any help you can give me re the throttle body would be greatly appreciated.
While one or two of the accidents may have been correctly tied to floormats, the pundits believe Toytota's sudden unintended acceleration (sustained) is a multilayered problem and ultimately has something to do with either the sensors in the drive by wire or a software problem in the main computer. Or, it may be tied to the allegedly broken throttle body shafts supplied by a Kentucky manufacturer. Or, it could be singularly one of the above or a combination thereof.
Whatever the cause, the solution to any of the above causes of SUA or any not listed would have been to engineer a failsafe, in that the brake would override the throttle, such as those in European cars, BUT they did not. Big mistake.
Toyota is playing the percentages right now and going for the cheapest smoke screen they can find. They hope to paper over this mess and pray that the furor dies down. Think about it: a plane crashes, 240 people die and the public on the whole doesn't stop flying. Toyota's attitude seems to be that ONLY 19 people have died in SUAs over the past 5 or 8 years (depending on the accidents you count in the SUA numbers.)
When I called about my Venza being on the recall list, I actually had my dealer say to me in a very irritated voice: "Look, people get into car crashes every day. People die in car crashes every day." Now THAT's audacity.
Now let's see who doesn't read!
"No Lexus Division or Scion vehicles are affected by these actions. Also not affected are Toyota Prius, Tacoma, Sienna, Venza, Solara, Yaris, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser, Highlander hybrids and certain Camry models, including Camry hybrids, all of which remain for sale."
http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/toyota/toyota-consumer-safety-advisory-102572- .aspx
BTW, the Transportation Secretary just said those affected by the pedal recall should all stop driving their cars and head to the dealer for repairs. This isn't going away quietly.
Edmunds.com Responds to LaHood Flip-Flop about Toyota Recall (dBbusinessNews)
The pedal mess could very well reach the Venza ... and Ford and Chevy. Well, it's already reached Ford in China where they recalled some Transit Connects. But that's no reason for us to get snarky with each other.
Toyota Recall Update #3: How To Tell Which Pedal You Have (Straightline)
Haven't experienced any surge acceleration caused by computer hiccup.....yet.
Hal.
The article states that Toyota has now been adding this override to their vehicles.
Does the Venza (hopefully) have such a brake override system? If not is Toyota planning on adding as part of a recall? Thanks
Any one hear anything about this? I have an 09 Venza. What exactly will this overide system entail?
A few days later, I received a call from the dealership that my car is ready for pick-up and I could view a video they sent me via e-mail I viewed the staged, phony video where they had purposely placed a light plastic floor mat on top of the gas pedal and said that was the problem. No pedal fix, no brake override, even though I read them over the phone Toyota's Feb. 22 press release that 2009 and 2010 Venza's were added to the brake override system list. By the way, as soon as I shut off the engine, I immediately looked down and no floor mat was anywhere near the gas pedal. To achieve those rpms, two bricks would have had to have been sitting on the gas pedal.
I let the car sit for 6 days while exploring lawyers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. None were of help. I picked the car up yesterday and held my breath driving home. This weekend I will try to trade it in for another make, I'm sure at a significant loss.
Clearly, there is something wrong with the electronic control system.
Basically a whole bunch of SHEER IDIOCY...!!!
The indications, at this moment, is that the engine control ECU is "out to lunch", stuck in an illegal instruction execution sequence, when UA occurs. So it is shear idiocy to add more firmware, BTO firmware, to the engine ECU with the expectation it will work.
But that's what the idiots at Toyota/etc (NipponDenso and Denso US, in reality) appear to be proposing.
I wonder if this has happened to anyone else?
My question was more along the lines of receiving advice on how best to approach Toyota and the dealership regarding the sale of a vehicle that is known to be on any recall list - wether it is mats, software or whatever. I seriously doubt that we would have purchased the Venza knowing that it was on the recall list. We would have continued our search for a low mileage used Highlander to replace the one that was totaled recently. We did not have a lot of time to research different vehicles and were dependent on a dealership (and brand) that we have come to rely on and feel it was their obligation to be forthright with any information - especially involving recalled cars that they were selling.
Any thoughts on how to deal with this situation would be appreciated.
Reference: http://blogs.insideline.com/straightline/2010/01/toyota-recall-update-3-how-to-t- ell-which-pedal-you-have.html
FYI the Venza recall is the same recall that is on the Highlander.
While I'm not calling into question Johnk12's issue, I certainly would have left an email address on this forum and would want to talk to anyone who had a similar problem.
However, I do believe that Toyota needs to get to the bottom of whatever is going on. Some of these UA's are legitimate and others are outright scams such as is Prius in California.
After talking to several people with Toyota as well as those in the industry I have no concerns of UA with the Venza.
No matter what type of car you own, one needs to be aware of how to stop the vehicle if the worst case scenario.
I would like to think that when I go to a Toyota dealership (or any dealership for that matter) that I have been provided with all of the information needed to make a reasonably informed purchase decision - especially if it has to do with safety and specifically a product defect that has already been noticed to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as this was 9 to 10 days prior to us buying our Venza.
I just got off the phone with a representative from Toyota and had a most dizzying conversation with a poor gentlemen that was doing his best to support the party line, but just could not make a rational statement when pressed for details. For example, when I asked him if he could tell me when Toyota noticed the dealerships about the January 27th floor mat related recall of the Venza, he put me on hold for 15 minutes and came back with a comment to the effect that the dealerships have not been noticed as there is not a full remedy for the problem yet. Even though he admitted that the "partial" remedy was to remove the driver's side mat, there was no obligation on their part to notify customers of this and that it was up to us to find this information on their website. He stated that they don't have a responsibility to notify their customers until a full remedy has been determined at which time we will get a formal notice in the mail. (Needles to say, this was not an acceptable response and his supervisor will be calling me in the morning.)
The bottom line is this - a customer shopping for a car should be told by a representative of a factory sponsored dealership of any recalls - whether pending or fully completed - so that they can make a fully informed decision when deciding on which vehicle to buy. I have been a loyal Toyota fan for over 25 years, but I think they have some serious issues and this situation seems to be further proof of that.
The supervisor was honest and forthright with his responses which I appreciated very much. Unfortunately, I now have a bone to pick with the dealership for not being the same with us. I'll let you know how that goes.